Programs

Broadly, poverty is an inability to secure basic necessities for yourself or your family. Numbers of people living in poverty hover around the one billion mark, and solving this seemingly intractable problem is seen by most as the major goal of development. Economic growth and the improvement of agriculture are two key drivers of poverty reduction, along with efforts to secure assets and enhance capital in marginal groups. It remains unclear whether modern economic policies and globalization are a force for good or bad in the largely rural poor, and whether more specific interventions are required to reduce poverty as far as is required by the various development goals set by the international community.

IFPRI’s work explores the complex linkages between poverty, livelihoods, food and nutrition, and evaluates the programs and policies that can best help families to rise out of poverty and remain productive and healthy.